Bodysuit

ABSTRACT

A novel bodysuit is provided. In particular, the present invention provides a bodysuit that presents a neat and kept appearance of a tucked-in shirt without the use of cumbersome elastic garters and loose magnetic attachments. The unique arrangement of the present bodysuit garment allows the user to engage in vigorous activities, such as horseback rodeo riding, while maintaining a kept appearance without dislodgement of fasteners or connectors through inadvertent contact with a saddle horn or other type of exterior object.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to bodysuits. In particular, the invention provides a novel bodysuit that allows the person wearing the bodysuit to present a neat and kept appearance even while engaging in physical activities. The invention is uniquely designed to avoid physical discomfort and even injury to the wearer when the wearer is engaged in horseback activities. However, the field of the invention is not limited to attire for equestrian activities but also encompasses personal wear for any user, especially women, who wish to more easily present a neat appearance without needing to smooth and tuck in the wearer's shirt or blouse.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A common problem with anyone who wears a shirt or blouse tucked into a lower torso covering is keeping the top piece of clothing in a neat and tidy appearance. All too often, normal movements of the body will tend to dislodge the tucked-in shirt and create an unkept or frumpy appearance. Obviously, the more there is movement and bending at the waistline, the more likely it is for the shirt to come untucked. There has been a long-felt need in the fashion and clothing industry for a reasonable solution that allows users to maintain a tucked-in shirt even while moving and bending about during normal or even vigorous activities.

In the prior art, there are several known methods of keeping a shirt tucked in to either the user's pants (for both men and women) or to the user's skirt (ordinarily for women). For both men and women who wear pants, one possible solution is the use of magnets, where the user places magnets on the inside of the pants pockets and corresponding magnets on the opposite side of the shirt or blouse being tucked in. In this manner, the shirt is more frictionally opposed to dislodgement from the pants. Another possible magnetic solution is to attach the magnets to opposite sides of the shirt tails being tucked in and then using a belt around the user's waist to prevent the magnets attached to the shirt from rising above the user's belt or waist line. One commercial version of this magnetic solution is the Magnetuck® shirt stays. Another popular solution is the somewhat cumbersome sock-to-shirt straps, otherwise known as elastic garter straps. With garter straps, the user attaches a suspenders-type elastic strap to the shirt tails and then down through the pants to the person's socks. There are also versions of elastic garter straps that may be used with shorts but these involve applying an additional constrictive strap around the user's thigh to anchor the device. Other prior art solutions include using a special belt that cinches the shirt directly to the user's waist. This cinching belt is then covered with the pants and either a belt or suspenders. Additional solutions include gripper tape sewn into the shirt, glues and sticky tapes sewn onto the inside of the pant waistline, and even special underwear printed with silicone-gripping material.

There are myriad problems with these prior art solutions. The garter belts are unwieldy and tend to present unsightly edges under the user's pants or shorts. The extra cinching belts can be uncomfortable, especially in warm weather. Further, the mechanical or chemical solutions of magnetic tabs, gripper tape, glue strips, and silicone-gripping underwear tend to not withstand more rigorous activities and can make re-tucking the shirt more difficult when the shirt stays come loose.

Horseback riding presents an especially difficult challenge for persons wishing to keep their shirts tucked in. Many of the mechanical solutions listed above are simply inadequate because the shirt stay contraptions are uncomfortable when riding a horse and are easily dislodged.

There exists a need in the art for a wearable item that will allow the user to maintain a neat and kept appearance of a tucked-in shirt even while riding in vigorous horseback activities, such as rodeo barrel racing. There further exists a need in the art for a wearable item that maintains the appearance of a tucked-in shirt and yet is comfortable to wear while riding a horse. There further exists a need in the art for a wearable item that maintains the appearance of a tucked-in shirt while straddling a leather saddle mounted on a horse. Yet further, there exists a need in the art for a wearable clothing item that does not come undone or otherwise dislodged when frictionally opposed by the seat rise, swell, or horn of a traditional western saddle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a traditional western saddle.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the bodysuit of the present invention in a closed position.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view side view of the measurement points of a western saddle useful to the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of the bodysuit of the present invention in an open position.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the invention in greater clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention. There are also representative examples of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numeral refers to the same elements in all figures.

The present invention provides a bodysuit that maintains the appearance of a tucked-in shirt even while the user is engaged in vigorous activities, such as rodeo riding. The invention is particularly suited for use when riding a horse while using a western style saddle, although it is also useful in other circumstances of vigorous or non-vigorous activity where the user wishes to maintain a neat and kept appearance of her personal attire.

FIG. 1 shows a western style horseback riding saddle 1. The saddle 1 has a horn 2, which is used for helping the rider get on and off the horse, for tying off a cow or calf, or for holding a front saddlebag or bed roll. There is also a seat rise 4, which represents the top of the incline from seat bottom 6. Seat rise 4 is usually created by layering leather under the seat face to produce a gradual rise from seat bottom 6 to an area just short of horn 2. The area between seat rise 4 and seat back 8 forms a v-shape that serves to keep the rider centrally positioned at seat bottom 6. There is a cantle 10 that forms the back ridge of seat back 8. Also shown in FIG. 1 is the fender 12, stirrup 14, and billet strap 16.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is a bodysuit 20 configured according to the present invention. Bodysuit 20 comprises an upper body portion 22 and a lower body portion 24. In one embodiment of the present invention, upper body portion 22 is configured as a traditional long-sleeved western shirt. As shown in the figure, this portion of bodysuit 20 comprises a shirt having long sleeves 40, collar 42, pockets 44, and button panel 46. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that upper body portion 22 can comprise any type of shirt style and look, with the governing featuring being a fashion appearance where the user desires to maintain a tucked-in look. Possible variations include short sleeves, different pocket arrangements, no pockets, different collar styles, no collar at all, no button panel, and so on.

Upper body portion 22 further comprises securing panel 38. This panel is located at the bottom area of upper body portion 22. Securing panel 38 can be of varying widths, depending on the wearer's preference. For example, if the wearer desires, securing panel 38 could be of a small width that would be completely hidden by the user's pants (in the case of a rodeo rider) or skirt (in the case of more general activities). In other instances, securing panel 38 could be of a larger width that might be displayed above a pant or skirt line. Securing panel 38 serves as an attachment point for the top-front portion of lower body portion 24, as discussed below. Securing panel 38 comprises receiving points 60 (shown in FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, there is a forward flap 26 integral to lower body portion 24 of bodysuit 20. Attachment panel 32 is located at a distal end of forward flap 26 and comprises attachment points 34, located on the underside edge of the flap. Attachment panel 32 is generally formed in the shape of an hourglass such that when attachment panel 32 is connected to securing panel 38, the resulting configuration is a bodysuit with left leg hole 28 and right leg hole 30.

The attachment points 34 of attachment panel 32 are configured for secure connection with reciprocal receiving points 60 of securing panel 38. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that there are many ways to connect attachment panel 32 and securing panel 38 via attachment points 34 and receiving points 60. One such method is via a traditional snap arrangement. In this fashion, receiving points 60 would comprise male snap halves and attachment points 34 would comprise female snap halves. Another variation would be buttons and button holes. Yet another variation would be opposing placement of Velcro® fasteners. According to the present invention, the guiding principle in selection of specific attachment points 34 and receiving points 60 is the strength and security of the attachment along with the ease of dressing and undressing. In another embodiment of the invention, there could be zippers or clasps between attachment panel 32 and securing panel 38.

In one embodiment of the present invention, attachment points 34 and receiving points 60 span the entire width of the garment. In this configuration, the neat and kept appearance of upper body portion 22 can be maintained across the entire width of the user's body. An additional advantage of this configuration is that by spreading attachment points 34 and receiving points 60 across the width of the garment there is a redundancy of connectors to maintain the kept appearance should an outside force dislodge specific connectors. For example, if the user leans forward against the horn 2 of western style saddle 1, some of the middle connectors may become dislodged through vigorous action. By spreading the connectors across the garment, the bodysuit of the present invention ensures that the kept appearance is maintained even if a few fasteners are disconnected. In another embodiment of the present invention, a gap can be formed in the middle of attachment points 34 and receiving points 60 such that there is no interfering connector that could irritate the user's skin when pressed against an outside object, such as the horn 2 of western style saddle 1. As contemplated by the present invention, this gap would also minimize or eliminate dislodgment of central-positioned connectors by entirely removing these connectors from the composition of body suit 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, there is also disclosed a crotch line 36 that is located at the lowest point of body suit 20 when attachment panel 32 is secured to securing panel 38. Crotch line 36 is a reference line for measurement “d” as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 3, riding triangle 50 is defined by the horizontal plane from point of seat rise 54, saddle incline 57, and the adjoining vertical line represented by vertical seat drop 55. According to the present invention, measurement “d” represents the minimum distance for placement of attachment points 34 from crotch line 36 such that that placement of attachment points 34 does not fall below the average vertical seat drop 55 of a western style saddle. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, attachment points 34 are located no less than 3.0 inches from crotch line 36. In a more preferred embodiment, attachment points 34 are located no less than between 4.0 and 5.0 inches from crotch line 36. It has been discovered that the unique placement of attachment points 34 improves both rider comfort and minimizes disruption of fastener functions during vigorous riding activity in western saddles.

As shown in FIG. 4, in yet another embodiment of the present invention, forward flap 26 of bodysuit 20 further comprises comfort strip 58. This can be a strip of any type of cushioning material, such as cotton swatches, gel pads, memory foam, and microsacs filled with cushioning gases or liquids, such as air or water. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that there are many types of cushioning materials suitable for purposes of the present invention. If comfort strip 58 is included, a preferred embodiment is that it be of minimal thickness that it is not visible to the casual observer.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The use of the word “panel” is not meant to limit the described part to a separate fabric piece but is meant to also encompass an area or portion of existing fabric pieces. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece body suit comprising: an upper body portion with a securing panel located at a bottom area of said upper body portion; and a lower body portion having a forward flap with an attachment panel, said attachment panel having means for attachment wherein said attachment panel can be removably connected to said securing panel; wherein when said attachment panel is connected to said securing panel the distance from said means for attachment to the bottom of said body suit is greater than zero.
 2. The body suit of claim 1, wherein when said attachment panel is connected to said securing panel the distance from said means for attachment to the bottom of said body suit is at least 3.0 inches.
 3. The body suit of claim 1, wherein when said attachment panel is connected to said securing panel the distance from said means for attachment to the bottom of said body suit is at least 4.0 inches.
 4. The body suit of claim 3, wherein said upper body portion is sized to be the only part of said body suit that can be seen when said body suit is worn under a pair of pants.
 5. The body suit of claim 4, wherein said means for attachment span the width of said attachment panel.
 6. The body suit of claim 5, wherein a middle portion of said attachment panel is devoid of said means for attachment. wherein said magnets are encased in a polymer coating.
 7. The body suit of claim 1, wherein said lower body portion further comprises a comfort strip.
 8. The body suit of claim 7, wherein when said attachment panel is connected to said securing panel the distance from said means for attachment to the bottom of said body suit is at least 3.0 inches.
 9. The body suit of claim 7, wherein when said attachment panel is connected to said securing panel the distance from said means for attachment to the bottom of said body suit is at least 4.0 inches.
 10. The body suit of claim 9, wherein said upper body portion is sized to be the only part of said body suit that can be seen when said body suit is worn under a pair of pants.
 11. The body suit of claim 10, wherein said means for attachment span the width of said attachment panel.
 12. The body suit of claim 11, wherein a middle portion of said attachment panel is devoid of said means for attachment. wherein said magnets are encased in a polymer coating. 